The bothy comes first for Geoff Allan, author of the Scottish Bothy Bible and Scottish Bothy Walks
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Nights by the fire in the remote corners of Scotland led Geoff Allan in a new direction. John Davidson joined him on one of his Scottish Bothy Walks
Geoff Allan would describe himself as a photographer before an author – yet his first book threw him out of the shadows around the bothy fire and into the limelight.
More than 40,000 copies of the Scottish Bothy Bible have been sold so far, and I joined Geoff on a walk that features in his follow-up publication, Scottish Bothy Walks, which came out this week.
Our trek up to Ryvoan Bothy and over Meall a' Bhuachaille is one of the more straightforward and less remote of the 28 featured routes, yet with a good covering of snow and a fierce wind on top, it was challenge enough today.
Geoff's love of photography was clear to see, as he viewed every opportunity in terms of composition and the right light. If this was one of his many research walks, it would have worked out perfectly – the sun shone briefly but perfectly just as we arrived at the bothy, lighting up the gable end of the building against the sharp, white snow.
That first sight of a bothy is something he mentions in the new book; there's nothing quite like knowing you have reached that remote building that offers shelter from the elements, comradeship and the prospect of a dry night in the wilds of Scotland.
The notion of producing a book on bothies wasn't just a whim for Geoff, who has been using the shelters for more than 30 years of his life and has spent the last eight of those working on the two books.
"I didn’t just come to this project and think, this is a really good idea – I’ve always bothied," he told me in the shelter of Ryvoan's four walls. "I’ve never had that much money, never been really attracted to money. Different circumstances in my life have meant I haven’t pursued a career, so bothies have always been a solace.
"In 2011, a journalist friend said to me, have you ever thought about writing a book about bothies? One of the motivating factors for me was the opportunity to write the seminal guide and that has come to pass."
The 'Bible' has come to be a collectors' item, a great reference for bothy users – giving information not only on location but also on useful things such as what fuel to carry in for fires – and also a source of inspiration to many.
"I believed in sharing the information and obviously I’d tell people around the fire, but it’s just the fact that people have been really inspired by it," he said. "I had someone with prostate cancer come up to me after a talk and said it’s inspired me out into the hills again."
For many, bothies are a stepping stone to climbing Scotland's more remote hills, not least the Munros. But, for Geoff, it's not all about bagging summits; the joy of just reaching the bothy and it becoming the target of the walk itself can be just as satisfying.
He said: "I spent a good few weeks going through the routes in my head. I had a list of 30 and 28 made the book. There are 12 new walks that are not in any other guidebook.
"There are a couple I did just looking at the map. The one round Maol Chean-dearg – I just looked at it and it all joined up, so I thought great, because obviously you can go up the hill and that’s all described in guidebooks, so I thought let’s do this, and it’s a less intimidating route.
"The one to Beinn Leòid from Glendhu bothy, I was so happy that all joined up. You find a stalkers’ track on the way up and there’s a stalkers’ track on the way down. I’ve been there four times now and there’s a great 360-degree view from the top and there’s a fantastic atmosphere out there.
"But the idea is that the bothy is the focal point, even if there’s another objective to the day. Getting to the bothy itself is great. Some of the walks are quite challenging but just getting to the bothy is easy enough in at least 20 of them."
Despite the success of the first book, there are a vocal minority who don't like what they see as the commercialisation of bothies. Traditionally the locations of these shelters were a closely guarded secret, shared between those in the know. But in 2009 the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) shared the locations via its website, a controversial move even at that time.
Geoff revealed that since writing the Bothy Bible, he is personally targeted online but deals with it by refusing to engage and give it oxygen because he says you can't have a sensible, intelligent debate about the subject.
He has also been accused of causing the closure of one of the bothies in his book, at Peanmeanach on the Ardnish peninsula west of Fort William, which the estate has said will close as a free-to-access bothy in October.
Asked what his response is to the criticism, he says: "The first thing I would say is why do I need to justify writing a guidebook? I don’t feel defensive, full stop.
"It’s a celebration of Scotland, you’re encouraging people out into the hills and the beautiful country. The question is, who are the gatekeepers? Who is making this judgment about who can go to bothies and who can’t?
"This is just shedding a light on this idea of them being open shelters but only open for those who know – and that is just being exposed."
He also adds that between himself personally and the publisher Wild Things, around £10,000 has already been donated to the MBA to help look after the shelters in its care. The bothy at Peanmeanach has been in the MBA's care since 1975, with significant resources and time put into its upkeep over the last 45 years.
There have also been other changes in that time, and Geoff cites social media and in particular Instagram as having a huge effect on the number of visitors to bothies in recent years.
Geoff is keen to focus on the positives, including the well-documented benefits to mental and physical health that people get from being in the outdoors, so he makes no apology for creating routes that inspire people to get out more and explore nature.
Before we head back out of the shelter and into the wind, he tells me that the routes he has chosen for his new book offer something for everybody – but can he pick a favourite?
"The routes are all great!" he laughs. "What I would say is that there is a route for you, so whatever range of experience you have, there are easy ones and difficult ones – but one of the most satisfying ones was certainly doing the Bad Step [on Skye] in a day.
"It’s an elegant round and I got a beautiful day, took some friends and friends of friends and that picture of people on the Bad Step, there aren’t many good pictures of that elsewhere.
"So, for me it’s the challenging ones. For other people it might be this one we're doing – this is an absolutely classic walk but in most other guidebooks they go the other way round. For me, you visit the lochan, get to the bothy, then if the weather is bad, you can go back to the car."
We don't do that, of course. Climbing the steep snow-covered path to the rounded summit of Meall a' Bhuachaille, we enjoy a day of freedom on the hills after a refreshing coffee in the solace of the bothy. Blasted by strong winds at the top, we make our way quickly down to Glenmore through a winter wonderland of falling snow.
"It’s the perfect introduction," suggests Geoff. "Go to the bothy then get a hill – but always go to the bothy first!"
What is a bothy?
Bothies are simple shelters that are unlocked and available for anyone to use. The Mountain Bothies Association – a recipient of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service – maintains around 100 of these shelters across Scotland, many of them in remote parts of the Highlands and Islands.
Bothies are maintained under agreements with their owners and are looked after by volunteers.
All users are asked to understand and follow the bothy code:
Respect other users – leave the bothy clean and tidy with dry kindling for the next visitors. Make other visitors welcome and be considerate to other users.
Respect the bothy – carry out all rubbish that can't be burned, and don't bury rubbish. Don't vandalise the bothy or leave perishable food. Guard against fire risk and ensure the fire is out and windows and doors are closed when leaving.
Respect the surroundings – if there is no toilet at the bothy bury human waste out of sight. Use the spade provided, keep well away from the water supply and never use the vicinity of the bothy as a toilet. Never cut live wood or damage estate property. Use fuel sparingly.
Respect agreement with the estate – observe any restrictions on use of the bothy, for example during stag stalking or at lambing time. Bothies are available for short stays only - the owner’s permission must be obtained if you intend an extended stay.
Respect the restriction on numbers – large groups (six or more) should not use a bothy. Bothies are not available for commercial groups.
For more information, see www.mountainbothies.org.uk
- Scottish Bothy Walks: Scotland's 28 Best Bothy Adventures by Geoff Allan is published by Wild Things Publishing. Available from March 2020.
